Album Review: The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy - 01.04.2015

Low expectations can sometimes be a good thing, as is the case with The Prodigy’s new album “The Day Is My Enemy”.  Following on from my preview review; The Essex firestarter’s sixth studio album is better than expected, but that isn’t necessarily saying a lot.

Equipped with their usual battery of brutal breakbeats, soaring synths and rock-laced riffs, the title track “The Day Is My Enemy” provides a definite high point in the album. Opening with full ferocity a military-esque breakbeat that sounds like rapid machine gun fire kicks in, interspersed with guest Martina Topley Bird’s restrained vocals, borrowed from Cole Porter’s “All Through The Night” and offset against angry cries of “Get down, get down!”.

“Ibiza” is probably the best song on the album, which features Sleaford Mods cawing out the hook “Eye-beef-uh! Eye-beef-uh!” The Prodigy are not renowned for songs steeped in lyrical significance – refer to “Smack My Bitch Up” – but “Ibiza” offers a little more depth than usual, acting as an ‘anti  DJ anthem’  for The Prodigy, who are making a stand against DJs who pre-mix sets  - Even if the message is “What’s he fucking doing?!” angrily repeated.

Other tracks worth mentioning include; “Beyond The Deathray” for its ambient curveball and “Medicine” for the Middle Eastern inspired synths running throughout.  Unfortunately, the rest of the songs on the 14 track album sound like tired comparisons to predecessors that once basked in the neon glow of the 90’s rave scene.

Liam Howlett’s buzzwords in recent interviews have suggested that the new album will be rammed with “aggression” and “violence”, but unless he meant the album would be based around Keith Flint repetitively roaring song titles on a loop; his statement is sadly inaccurate and unsubstantiated. 

The Prodigy’s new album is a mixed bag, much like 2004’s “Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned” It’s disappointing for fans that know what the band are capable of. However in a post-dubstep generation, where Skrillex is king; I’m doubtful if The Prodigy will get another realistic chance to take back the electronic dance crown.

Preview Album Review: The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy - 18.03.2015

Electronic music instigators The Prodigy have just unveiled another new single ‘Wall of Death’ from their soon to be released album ‘The Day Is My Enemy’.

The first single from the new album, ‘Nasty’, unfortunately lived up to its name and failed to impress me.  The formulaic trademark disjointed riffs, grinding bass and brutal breaks were all there, but so were Keith Flint’s uninspired vocals based around the repetition of the word ‘Nasty’. It all seemed a little listless and – safe!

The hypocritical thing about ‘Nasty’ is that during a recent interview for Q Magazine, Liam Howlett denounced that “Dance music across all types has become formula-based, It's'here's your drum fill, here's your build.’ all that DJ bollocks and tutorialson YouTube shit.”  He then went on to say “This album is totally organic, pure violent energy." A bold statement that ‘Nasty’ failed to live up to.

With this in mind, I didn’t have high expectations for ‘Wall of Death’, but I tuned in and listened with an open mind. I was pleasantly surprised. The structure of the song isn’t massively different from anything they’ve released before, but I did start to feel that aggression and energy that Howlett had been promising us with the new album.

Whether or not ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ is going to surpass expectations and live up to its hype is open to question; but considering The Prodigy used to be pioneers of electronic music, in the centre of controversy with socio-political albums like ‘Music for the Jilted Generation’ and notorious 90’s anthems from ‘Fat of the Land’, I would say they have their work cut out. I can’t help wondering if they’ve left the release of this album a few years too many.